Emma Watson's friends and family didn't need anymore convincing about the seriousness of gender inequality in the world when the "Harry Potter" star came under immediate fire for speaking out on the subject.
Watson, speaking at a live Facebook Q&A in London on Sunday, discussed the threats she received after she gave a speech at the United Nations about ending gender inequality last September. Within 12 hours, a web page, linked to the 4chan group that leaked hundreds of nude celebrity photos, threatened to do the same thing and posted a countdown clock titled "Emma You Are Next."
"I knew it was a hoax. I knew the photos didn't exist but I think a lot of people that were close to me, knew gender equality was an issue but didn't really think it was that urgent," the 24-year-old actress said during the International Women's Day interview while publicizing her "HeForShe" campaign, which encourages men and boys to advocate for gender equality.
The threats never panned out but they did change the opinion of those close to Watson and others.
"I think they were really shocked and one of my brothers was very upset. I think it was a wake up call of like, 'Oh, this is like a real thing. It's really happening now.' Women are receiving threats, in all sorts of different forms," Watson said.
If the creators of the website wanted to stop Watson from speaking her mind, their planned backfired. The threats only made the young actress more determined to spread the word about gender inequality and solving the problem that continues today.
"If anything, it made me so much more determined. I was just raging. It made me so angry that I was like, 'This is why I have to be doing this,'" she said. "If they were trying to put me off, it did the opposite."
